“It’s done, Lucy. The ring is yours.” Then, for clarity’s sake, he added, “And you’ll wear it, so everyone knows you’re mine.”
The cost was irrelevant. He could buy her anything she wanted in this store. Everything if she asked for it. But thefact that she’d be wearing what he’d given her was something no money could buy.
“I’ll wear it,” she promised. Then whispered, “For a year.”
And with those words, his heart sank as quickly as it had been lifted, because at the end of the day, Lucy had no intention of staying with him.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The moment Lucy opened her bedroom door the next morning, she felt Joel’s absence. The eerie silence was one she recognized from a different time, and she knew instantly he was gone. Not just away from the apartment, but away from her. Funny how his absence had always been more noticeable than his presence.
Why did she care? This wasn’t four years ago, and he wasn’t bound to her anymore. The scent of coffee coaxed her down the hall and into the kitchen. A box of fresh pastries sat next to a steaming pot, a sticky note curled off the side.
Had to leave unexpectedly for business.
Hope to be back in a day or two.
I’ll be in touch.
Joel.
The car fob sat beside the box with another sticky that read:The car is yours.
With her disappointment tasting a lot like bitterness, she reminded herself that this time was different. Differentbecause he owed her nothing. She had no agency over his comings and goings anymore, no right to feel slighted.
So why did she? Maybe because they’d been living together less than twenty-four hours and already he was gone, damn it.
To distract herself, she poured a massive cup of coffee, and tugged the sticky note off the pastry box, staring at the neat handwritten words. In the past, she might have sent him a cheeky text reminding him of a little thing called an iPhone, which was a perfectly good option to communicate. Especially for moneybags, such as he was. But their time for cheeky banter and teasing was history. This was fake, and she’d do better to remember that.
Truthfully, she used to love the little notes. When they’d last lived together, he’d left them all over his San Francisco penthouse. What had started out as little love notes had morphed into messages for her and the baby. A note on a glass of water with her prenatal vitamin beside it reading:for mama and Lights(they’d nicknamed their unborn baby Lights because they conceived in Vegas, sue them.) Or on the bathroom mirror that read:can’t wait to see you naked tonight.
They’d lived together for sixteen weeks, and he’d left a sticky note somewhere every day. Apparently, he was back at it.
Lucy drank her coffee, ate her almond croissants, and went on with her day. Then another day. She filled her days being bombarded with wedding planning family while also trying to work remotely. Even though she was technically on holiday, she told herself she didn’t want to fall behind…and she hated the thought of Nico having his hands on Barone & Sons unchecked while she and her father were in Portland.
Each morning she’d woken to an empty apartment, and no new sticky notes of explanation.
She wasn’t sure if his two days had turned into two weeks or if he’d be walking through the door any minute. What she did know was that caring where Joel was and when he was coming back was not a habit she wanted to get back into, so on the Wednesday morning, the third day of his absence, she ditched her laptop, grabbed the fob to the Taycan and left him a sticky note telling him she’d be home by dinner.
Refocusing her mental energy, she navigated her way through a city she didn’t know very well in a vehicle that cost more than her annual income. And that was saying something, considering she earned a very healthy salary at her father’s company.
The massive diamond on her hand blinked back at her as she gripped the steering wheel. When they’d made the spontaneous decision to get married four years ago, they’d stopped at a souvenir shop beside the chapel, and Joel had bought a simple silver band with hearts engraved around it. It had cost twenty dollars, but she’d treasured that ring.
The day she finally removed it, she’d cried so hard her stomach ached the next day.
Thanks to the GPS goddess, Lucy arrived at Natalie’s salon fifteen minutes later.Natalie’s Hair and Beautywas tucked between a coffee shop and a local clothing boutique. The sleek store front and trendy signage was eye catching and inviting, and Lucy felt a surge of pride for her younger cousin. While most twenty-something’s were dabbling in dead-end jobs, traveling, or generally trying to figure life out, Natalie had taken her talent, combined it with her guts and created a business that had turned out to be both popular and successful.
As Lucy walked in the front door, she admired the glossy, elegant décor. Natalie had done a bit of a redesign since Lucy had last visited and there was an elite, sophisticated air to the space. All but one of the five well-lit stations were occupied. Stylists worked and chattered at each chair.
“Good morning,” a young man greeted her cheerfully from behind the front desk. One side of his head was shaved, while a glossy dark-purple sheet of hair fell down the other side. He tapped on the MacBook in front of him, his nails matching the color of his hair. “Do you have an appointment or are you a walk-in?”
“Neither. I’m here to see my cousin, Natalie. I have no appointment, but she said she’d give me a trim, so I guess I’m a walk in.”
The stylist gave her hair a once over, his professional eye probably picking apart everything including how she’d finger combed her hair before pulling it into a ponytail secured with a rubber band.
After a moment of blank faced scrutiny, he grinned widely. “You must be Luciana! Nat said you’d be stopping in. I see the family resemblance now.” He pushed off his chair and held out his hand. “I’m Colin. Nice to meet you.” He pumped Lucy’s hand a couple of times. “She went to the cafe to pick up a round of treats and lattes, but she won’t be long. Come, you should definitely sit in her chair. She’ll die when she sees you in it.”
“Well, die is a bit of an exag—” But Lucy didn’t bother finishing her sentence, as Colin was already several paces ahead of her.
